Session Information

Background/Purpose: The 2006 OARSI Guidelines for hand OA clinical trials, recognised the potential value of an aesthetic damage assessment, but acknowledged the absence of any existing instrument to perform the measurement. In order to address this deficiency, a measure termed the Hand-Osteoarthritis Aesthetic Damage Index(HADIX) has been developed and its clinimetric properties explored. HADIX is a hexadimensional, Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) of the aesthetic impact of hand OA (HADIX 1-6).

Methods: This study forms part of a larger longitudinal initiative involving clinical profiling, digital photography and radiography. The development of HADIX has been reported previously (1). In the current study, test-retest reliability (TRR) and construct validity of re-test HADIX data (except HADIX 4 which is a relative measure) using the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire – MHOQ, were evaluated using Pearson’s rho or Kendall’s tau-b. Time to completion was also examined.

Conclusion: HADIX provides a novel approach to the evaluation of the aesthetic impact of hand OA. These observations suggest that the HADIX Index is reliable, valid and feasible, and may have a role in the evaluation of structure modifying interventions in hand OA.